Taking Suggestions! Please chime in!

[shift_9k]

Well, fellas i'll be getting a new fish tank later on this month. Everyone is practically chipping in for it, due to my bday. Needless to say i'll still have to cover majority of the costs. But hey every little bit helps right?

So I have a couple of questions. I really really wanna go saltwater, but I fear it might be too much work with my schedule. But at the same time Fresh water confuses me, because I dont know what i like when it comes to fresh water. I have a fresh water tank right now a 10g. Looks great in all, but just getting a little tired of it, and love saltwater tanks.

So I thought i'll forget the whole coral thing for now and just setup a tank with live rock, and a couple of clowns. Now how much work have i cut out?


Also im looking to get a 46g+ tank what would be the estimated cost to run the setup with just live rock, fish, and other equipment etc...


Any suggestions would be a great help! Please speak up I'm very confused.

 

[joeyjoeq]

Money you will spend. SW works different than FW, but after some time it gets simple. Always try to get atleast 1.5lbs of LR for every gallon. They say 1lb per gallon, but trust me it pays to have more. Are you going with the 46g? You can have a basic skimmer like a bak pak 2, and a small fuge with cheato. If you want coral get a Metal Halide as the 46g is on the taller side. The main things that will make you spend are the tank, stand, LR, light, and skimmer. Any other thing is a bit pricey, but you got the big things out the way. You know?

PS. Hey I'm in chicago I can help you along with a few other people I know around here. I'd give you some freebie corals when you are set to start sticking them in. Have a big bucket of IO salt that I'll sell ya for $25. Paid like $35 with tax. I only used it for like 10 gallons, but its basically new.

PS2: You have PM

 

[exhumed07]

I love my fw. for me it seems like there is almost an infinant supply of different fish. either u can go with aisian fish aftican tropical or even natural. saltwater just seems to be to pricy for the fish. I have trouble paying 20 bucks for a fish let alone 100+ for a saltwater.

 

[Lorna]

Saltwater fish are only marginally more expensive than that. Clowns that are captive bred run around $20. The problem people run into is that they don't research their purchases prior to buying and end up with fish that are either unsuitable or very difficult to maintain in captivity and then they don't make it. Saltwater can be unforgiving but on the other hand it can be extremely rewarding also.

JoeyJoeQ gave you great advice....but he didn't mention that you need to do a lot of research, which includes tapping numerous forums for advice, take the local fish store advice with a grain of salt and remember he is selling stock......

 

[Dadstank]

I too have to say... RESEARCH is paramount when it comes to starting saltwater.
I think that the larger the water volume the easier it is to keep. It's along the lines of baking cookies If you are only mixing up ingredients for 1 dozen and you have too much of one thing it makes the batch taste funny but if you are making 12 dozen and you are off the same amount it doesn't affect the flavor. I know you're probably laughing right now but 1 gallon evap from a 10 gallon is ten times as drastic as 1 gallon from a 100 gallon tank.

First thing you need to figure out is how far do you plan to take this dream... fish only... fish only with liverock... corals...
When you start out you have to be diligent on your tank husbandry making sure all parameters are in check... but after time it becomes alot easier.
If you neglect a SW tank things can go bad pretty quickly, then you hate it, then you give up and your selling crap on ebay
Not trying to scare ya but the needs of a SW tank can be frustrating to say the least... which we come full circle to the point of...RESEARCH
I have been into SW for a few years now and I am still learning.

 

[Lotus]

I'd say it would be a good idea to get early gifts of some saltwater books, or buy them for yourself. The New Marine Aquarium by Michael Paletta and The Concientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner are both excellent, and will save you more money than their cost in good advice.

If you're just going for FOWLR for now, you won't need fancy lights.

 

[TRe]

once your tank is setup as long as you dont over stock your tank and do regular water changes youll be fine

 

[ram man]

I suggest you go to reefcentral.com and read every sticky you find in each section.

 

[Lorna]

but don't ask too many questions there as they tend to be hard on newbies.....we are much more discerning and less likely to hop on your case for questions that everyone asks......

Put together an equipment list including brand names then put together a stocking plan and then let us take a look at it and give you some real objective advice.......

 

[shift_9k]

Honestly I really love this forum, you guys are great. I get annoyed of newbies on my specialty forum (honda s2000: s2ki.com). And I know you guys have seen questions like mine maybe three million times. I read the stickies and such on this forum, and I follow for the most part. But get lost when it comes to the abreviations on certain things.

I'll be honest with you guys, my extent of aquarium knowledge is very very limited for the time bieng. Things like a filter, heater, and various other types of fw fish is all i basically know. I will look into some of the books you guys reccomended.

As far as the list of equipment, im clueless. I do have a clear picture of what I want in the end.

Ideally what should be the list of things i'll need (bare minimum). If i want this:

Live Rock
Sand
2 Clowns and maybe a couple of Gobys. Im really not into the overstocked look. I'd rather have less fish and them all be healthy.
As far as coral, im really not ready to even dabble in that much for the time being. I really just wanna lay the tank out get the levels and such in check, and add a few fish. And then when i have the basics layed out start to see at that time if i'm ready to add coral and such. I'm patient enough this i know, time doesnt matter to me as long as things come out right in the end.

Thanks again guys. Big help!





Cheers

 

[ram man]

The stocking list sounds good to me. I see that you mentioned gobies, one thing that would be kinda cool is a pistol shrimp and goby pair for your tank if you like them. You also might want to look into a protien skimmer. Also your going to want powerheads for lots of flow.

 

[Joe Fish]

RC has a newbie section and they tend to be a little nicer and offer more help. Just make sure you take enough time to research before you buy anything. You'll save money in the long run.

 

[TRe]

once you get the tank youll need:
a couple of powerheads (3 or 4)
saltwater*crazysmil
sand (about a 2 inch bed)
liverock (about 1-1.5 lbs per gal) i kno its expensive
after youve add all this youll prolly need to let the tank sit for a good month or so to cycle...by that time you should have an even better idea of what you wanna do with this tank

edit: at some point your gonna want a good protien skimmer

 

[SALTY WATERS]

RC... Come on guy's don't cut ourselves short.. there are many knowledgeable poeple and stickies here on MFT that can be of great help

Unfortunately I'm not one of them at the moment, as I'm in a rush to get going to Toronto...sorry! Maybe try over at RC...LOL

 

[Dadstank]

but don't ask too many questions there as they tend to be hard on newbies.....QUOTE]

Wow that was an understatement!!!
I will go to RC for looking up info but as for "being part" of the posting... nope.
There are ALOT of people that have a need to be A-holes.
I guess there is a cosmic shift when you are on that site and are just supposed to know everything and if you don't you are an idiot...

I sure hope MFT stays friendly and doesn't turn into a site of condescending RC'ers*celebrate

 

[ram man]

I only post in one of the sections there and it seems to be theonly friendly one. The stickies will help you alot, especialy when you start looking into corals. A more friendly place is nano-reef. But there is still the occasional flaming of newbs, and i dont think a 46 gallon is considered a nano.

 

[shift_9k]

Well went to the LFS today. And.... I found this package deal from Eclipse for a starter saltwater tank. It includes a 29g tank, hood + lighting, ocean salt, hydrometer, some book, heater, filter, testing kit, digital thermometer, and conditioner.


So my additional things i'll need should look like this?


Live sand
Live rock
Skimmer


Anything else?

 

[TRe]

powerheads,protien skimmer ,most likely a better light if you plan to keep corals

 

[shift_9k]

dude im so sorry i got filled in on a lot today over at the LFS. Just on the basics as to what things do.

What exactly is a powerhead and what is its function. Im not doing the whole sump and refuge thing right now, as i dont plan on going reef any time soon.

 

[Lorna]

powerheads are underwater pumps that move the water around. In saltwater it is important to keep the waste in suspension so that the protein skimmer can skim it out. Depending on the cost of the package you bought you may or may not have gotten a good deal....depends. Remember not everything that is told to you by the lfs is up-to-date information